12 killed at cinema in Colorado

AN EMOTIONAL candlelight vigil has been held for the victims of the massacre at a premiere of the latest Batman movie, which left 12 people dead and nearly 60 injured.

The town of Aurora, Colorado, stood in silent mourning as it emerged that the alleged gunman, named as medical school dropout James Holmes, 24, bought more than 6000 rounds of ammunition on the internet, and four guns, in the two months before the shootings.

"As far as we know, it was a pretty rapid pace of fire in that theatre,'' said Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates, his voice shaking at times with emotion.

The masked, black-clad shooter burst into a movie theatre barely 20 minutes into the midnight screening of the Batman film, throwing two tear-gas type devices before opening fire.

When the smoke began to spread, some moviegoers thought it was a stunt that was part of The Dark Knight Rises, one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer. Then they saw a silhouette of a person in smoke at the front of the theatre, pointing a gun at the crowd.

Some cinemagoers said the gunman threw the tear gas canisters just as the same thing was happening on-screen. Many were confused and not even aware the attack was taking place as his shots mingled with the movie's soundtrack while he gunned down terrified patrons scrambling for the exits.

Witnesses said the gunman fired indiscriminately, targeting men, women and children - even a four-month-old baby. A local children's hospital reported six young victims, the youngest of whom was aged only six. The number of victims makes the incident the largest mass shooting in US history, America's ABC news reported.

The suspect marched up the aisle in the stadium-style theatre, picking off those who tried to flee, witnesses said. Authorities said he hit 71 people. At least one was struck in an adjacent theatre by gunfire that went through the wall. "He looked like an assassin ready to go to war,'' said Jordan Crofter, a moviegoer who was unhurt in the attack.

In New York City, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said: "It clearly looks like a deranged individual. He has his hair painted red. He said he was the Joker, obviously the enemy of Batman."

"He would reload and shoot and anyone who would try to leave would just get killed,'' said Jennifer Seeger, adding that bullet casings landed on her head and burned her forehead.

"Nearly everyone was shot,'' Oates said, adding that a "handful'' of those treated in hospital did not have gunshot wounds, but suffered other injuries in the mayhem.

The suspected gunman had purchased four guns at local gun shops and 6000 rounds of ammunition over the internet, the police chief said.

"My understanding is that all the weapons that he possessed he possessed legally, and all the clips that he possessed, he possessed legally, and all the ammunition he possessed, he possessed legally,'' Oates added.

Police arrested Holmes without encountering resistance by his white Hyundai parked at the rear of the cinema complex.

The Police Chief said officers found an AR-15 assault rifle - the civilian form of the M16 - a Remington 12-gauge shotgun and a .40-calibre Glock handgun in the theatre and another handgun in the car.

Oates says the gunman set off two devices to distract the crowd that released a smoke or an irritant.

Authorities did not release a motive.

The FBI said there was no indication the shooting was tied to any terrorist groups.

The shooting immediately brought memories of the massacre at nearby Columbine High School in 1999, where two students opened fire and killed 12 classmates and a teacher.

Friday's attack was the worst mass shooting in the US since an Army psychiatrist killed 13 soldiers and civilians at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. Holmes wore body armour, Oates said.

He said investigators are confident the gunman acted alone. FBI agents and police also discovered Holmes' apartment was booby trapped.

Authorities evacuated five buildings as they determined how to disarm flammable and explosive material.

"It's something I've never seen before," Oates said.

While some witnesses said the gunman entered through a side-door emergency exit at the front of the theater, a federal law enforcement official said the suspect bought a ticket and went into the theater as part of the crowd.

He is believed to have propped open an exit door as the movie was playing, put on protective ballistic gear and opened fire.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.

Movie giant AMC Theatres says it will no longer be allowing people to wear costumes or face-covering masks into its theatres.

The Pentagon said some military members were either killed or wounded.

Aurora is home to a large Defence Department satellite intelligence operation at Buckley Air Force Base. Holmes was studying neuroscience in a Ph.D. program at the University of Colorado-Denver graduate school, university spokeswoman Jacque Montgomery said. University officials earlier said he was a student at the university's medical school.

Holmes was in the process of withdrawing at the time of the shootings, Montgomery said. Police released a written statement from Holmes' family: "Our hearts go out to those who were involved in this tragedy and to the families and friends of those involved." The Defence Department says the suspect, James Holmes, is not a past or current member of any branch or component of the Armed Forces.

A man who lives next door to the family said Holmes seemed to be shy. Tom Mai said the mother told him Holmes couldn't find a job after earning his degree.

The Dark Knight Rises opened across the world this week, but the shooting prompted officials to cancel the Paris premiere, with workers pulling down the red carpet display at a theater on the famed Champs-Elysees Avenue.

Two police officers were stationed outside the AMC theater in New York's Times Square. "Warner Bros. and the filmmakers are deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident. We extend our sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims at this tragic time," the studio said.

President Barack Obama said he was saddened by the "horrific and tragic shooting," and he cut short campaigning to return to the White House.

In Washington, the Department of Homeland Security held a conference call with officials from the commercial, entertainment and shopping mall industries to discuss what security measures they could take in the future.